Store Your Happy Memories Here:

[Croix]

Dear All~

What this place is for:
This thread is a tool, a resource, and also I guess a dash of entertainment.

I’ve found that when life is grim that sometimes thoughts of past happiness can create a chink of light in the grey overwhelming press of down. They can help occupy the mind with lighter reflections.

With that in view I invite people to set down a brief passage describing some happy event they look back to with fondness and peace.

They - and others too - can then return to it when they feel the need to glean a little warmth.

It is not a place for gloomy or dire tales, those can go elsewhere.

What to do:
Just set out, as simply as you like, your recollection of some past experience that means something good to you, something you enjoyed, something from safe times.

It can be, like my story below, anything – from an account of visiting grandparents to simply cooking and eating a melted-cheese sandwich in a favorite kitchen – you get to choose.

How to do it:
Write. Write enough so someone else can feel the mood, know what happened, find the goodness. (stop at 2,500 characters please!)

Grammar, syntax, spelling, punctuation are not compulsory, just write as you can – the only important thing is the content - not literary merit. Short or long - it does not matter.


I hope you enjoy, contribute and find a little distraction here when you need it.

Croix

[sbella02]

That's quite poetic, Croix. I have a lot of happy memories with my pets over the years as well. Pets always have a way of making us feel at ease, I feel.

SB

[Croix]

Dear SB~

I'm not sure walruses are poetic, (I leave that to the Beatles),  but thank you anyway.

You are right about pets, one can live in  house, and it remains just a house, pets however can turn it into a home (and keep you busy if you have a bossy cat:)

Would you like to say what sorts of pets you have, or had? (hint -  I I'd find it hard to believe an African aardvark - or a Mongolian zederen:)

Croix (a.k.a. doorman to cats)

Croix

[Croix]

The Cat Tent.

It was cold today so the washing on the line came back in just as damp as it went out. As a result we used the wooden clothes horse in front of the fire You know the type, parallel bars with an X of wood at each end that lets it fold up.

It's an excellent illustration of the difference between cat's tempraments. When all had been set out Nasty Cat would sink her claws in and try to climb up the sheets and pillow cases. Often they would simply slip down to the floor and Nasty Cat was no better off, however she was made of stern stuff and kept on trying until everything was on hte floor or she finally reached the top where she would plonk down in the depression between two bars and defy anyone to remover her. (We decided to let agro cats lie)

Sumo had a different objective, viewing the horse wiht sheets coming down to the floor back and front as a specially constructed cat tent exclusively for his use and would retire inside, invisible to all and 'be busy'

Croix

[Eagle Ray]

Hello Croix,

I have just read your account of cats and clothes horses. It is so interesting the temperaments of different cats and how they view the same apparatus. I love the idea of Sumo all regal in his special Cat Tent. Fluffy cat who I was recently looking after loves finding cosy small spaces just for her. One she tried was a rectangular basket that was kept under a small bedside table. She would somehow squeeze herself in there and I would hear her shuffling about trying to make herself comfortable. It never quite worked for long and she would climb out again. Sometimes finding her latest hidey place takes some effort and I’ve had moments of panic that I’ve lost her, only to find a tell-tale ball of grey fluff curled up somewhere. As I am petsitting when I’m with her I have a small suitcase with me and that has also become a cat comfort zone if I’ve left it open.

Today I was recalling a happy memory of running with my friend’s young female kelpie dog on the beach in my 20s. I knew I loved dogs but had not spent much time with them at that point. My friend didn’t want to walk so it was just me and her dog. It was exhilarating just the two of us by the wild ocean, the only ones on the beach. We came to a creek that ran into the ocean and began to walk up it in the shallow water to explore. All of a sudden a thunderstorm broke over the headland right next to us. With a flash of lightning and thunder roll I thought uh-oh, we are standing in water which doesn’t mix with electricity. I decided we should head back to the car at the other end of the beach. So back we ran with the storm coming over. Kelpie dog remained so calm and we were companions for one another as we made the dash back which involved a steep climb to the car. I remember being exhausted, excited and a bit scared of the storm all at the same time. That was my first experience of the real companionship of a dog as I did not have dogs or cats growing up. Dogs have such a loyal and meaningful bond with humans. She was a small kelpie and I always remember her beautiful nature.

[Croix]

Dear All~

Now for something completely different.

Frankly I can't decide if this is a happy memory or rather a poignant one.

At one time I lived in London and took a double-decker bus to the tube station, then another bus at the other end to get to the school.

It was always fun, sitting right at the front on the top deck watching all the world, the shops, the people, the adverts and all the rest.

Back then busses had a driver in a little compartment by himself up the front, a conductor who went up and down and sold all the tickets , using a little machine with a crank handle to churn out the tickets, change going into a series of tubes on his belt. Always friendly.

Just sometimes a bus inspector whose job was to check on the conductor, driver and that all was in order. There was one who stood out. His boots were mirror finish spit-shines, knife edge creases in his uniform trousers, and an immaculate greatcoat with gleaming brass buttons and a uniform peaks cap with hte peak positioned down so it covered the eyes.

I guessed he had been a regimental sergeant major during the war and when demobbed carried the army virtues into civilian life.

Even as a kid I could never decide if this was a case of being unable to adapt, or if in fact it set a high example for other buss staff to follow. I hoped the latter

Croix

[Eagle Ray]

Hello Croix and All,

Sitting on the top-deck of the bus and seeing all the world go by around you sounds wonderful. It's interesting to hear about the bus inspector. He sounds like he was so immaculately dressed and perhaps even a little intimidating for the other bus staff when they were being inspected.

I actually remember from my very early childhood that there was a conductor on buses with the little machine with the crank handle. Not long after that the conductors were no longer used and it was all handled by the driver. I remember when my school friends and I were 13 we were allowed to go as a group into the city. This involved a bus and a train. I remember an all day ticket cost just $1, so you could travel anywhere for that amount with no time limit. We would have lunch (usually McDonalds or Hungry Jacks) and then see a movie. You could go into town with $15 and it covered everything - bus, lunch and movie. It felt like a big deal back then going into the city by ourselves.

Sleep well!

ER

[Doolhof]

Hi Eagle Ray, Croix  and all,

Your stories took me back to when I was about 13 or 14. I lived in a small country town with about 150 people. I needed specialist care. The easiest way was for a short flight in a small plane, sometimes a 4 seater, then I caught a bus from the Adelaide airport and went to the city centre. Mum took me once to show me the way.

I recall some of the details of buying the ticket and ensuring I had hold of it for the return trip. Our tickets used to have messages written on them, a positive or funny quote. 

As the flights were morning and then evening I had a full day to fill in wandering around the city which was immense for me back then. I liked the art gallery and museum and wandered about in some shops. 

Sometimes there was no spare money at home so I took a packed lunch and a bottle of water and money for an emergency call home if needed! I remember one of the fancier shops used to charge you to use their toilet. 

I'm thinking it might be time for a trip to the city to see the art gallery and museum again, maybe catch a train and a bus there. Would have to drive 3/4 of an hour to catch the train.

[Eagle Ray]

Hello Dools, Croix and All,

Dools, that sounds like it was quite a journey for you at a young age. I love that you got to walk around and explore the city. It would have been really interesting to see the art gallery, museum and shops.

It would be lovely to return to Adelaide and revisit those places. I really like Adelaide. I love the parklands around it. I was there a few years ago and I was amazed to find paddocks with horses in them in North Adelaide only about a 20 minute or so walk from the CBD. I loved that it felt rural so close to the city. I like that Adelaide is still a smaller city too. I also remember walking through the Botanic Gardens which were really nice.

[Doolhof]

Hi Eagle Ray and all,

I used to work in the city of Adelaide  and greatly enjoyed walking through the Botanical Gardens, there was so much to see. Then you could wander past the zoo and sometimes here the noises of a variety of animals. Further along you reached the River Torrens which has lovely walking tracks along either side to enjoy and a couple of old bridges to admire. 

Yes, Adelaide has some lovely park lands surrounding the city centre. I also liked driving in the older suburbs near the city, like North Adelaide to see the older stately homes. The Central Market was always fascinating as well, so much produce and an amazing variety of different nationalities shopping there. 

[Eagle Ray]

Hi Dools and all,

Yes, it really is a very walkable city. 23 years ago now I was at the Womadelaide festival held in Botanic Park which was wonderful. The lions could actually be heard roaring from the zoo at one point. I loved walking around North Adelaide too and seeing those stately homes. It would be absolutely charming to live there (and I imagine probably expensive too). I remember a bit of visiting the Central Market and one of my friends pointing out a very old Italian restaurant tucked in one corner that I think might be one of the oldest in Australia. I remember buying food there at the market to cook at the hostel I was staying at. I would really love to visit Adelaide again. I hope you get to go and explore there again.